Robin, the Fell Dragon
by Absolutcheese
Summary: A vessel worthy of our god!   A curse upon our world! He paid no mind to those words, to what the humans bellow called him. He was not a fell god of old, not a savior nor a monster. He was whoever he wanted to be. And as his powerful wings carried him through the sky, he chose. He was Robin, the Fell Dragon.
1. Prelude

**AN: So, this is my first story and i need to point a few things out. First, i am doing this on a whim and did not planned this out so don't expect rigorous updates. Second, i have no experience in writing prior to this, this is my first try so i will welcome any review that might help me improve. Lastly, English is not my first language, i have a limited vocabulary and have a difficult time construction diverse sentences. I am trying to improve on this aspect as well.**

**AN2: I actually scraped my original second chapter, it was boring and just went nowhere. So i added the relevant part to this one, as well as some other changes.**

** Apologies for any confusions caused by this.**

**With that said, i hope you get some enjoyment out of this.**

* * *

**Plegia, year 979.**

It was now or never. The Ylisseans vanguard had broken through. With the city's garrison depleted and no armies able to make it in time to this portion of the front, there was no choice but to act now.  
She had gathered what she would take with her, some instruments, gold coins and books. Now, she only needed to take what mattered the most.

The temple's corridors where mostly empty. Most of the staff and guards where in the streets, organizing the defenses and evacuation. It was the one advantage of the ongoing war, it provided her with a unique opportunity to make her move. She was now in the basement, the few priest she had encountered where to busy to pay attention. As she rounded the last corner, she met her only obstacle.

« Wha—! Lady Morg—! » The guard's exclamation was cut short by the lightning bolt that pierced his throat. She made sure to catch him before he hit the floor and proceeded through the door.

Only one guard to protect the main laboratory. The order truly had become overconfident, she thought, or they were simply overextended by the war. Still, the place was messy, dark and she could not afford to loose time to find what she came for. Someone was bound to notice that she was gone from her assigned position.

« Where are you ? » The whisper passed through her gritted teeth. As she casted a small flaming ball to light the room she heard it. In one of a corner, what seemed like a small high-pitched whine attracted her attention and she let out a sigh « There you are, little one. »

As she came close to the object of her attention, she brought up the flame to inspect it. Said object was an orb made of glass, roughly the size of a full-grown pumpkin. But what really mattered to her was the being locked inside. There, six small purple eyes blinked back hat her while a long month slowly opened revealing sharp teeth in what she had come to understand was a smile.

« Glad to see me ? So am i. » She quickly grabbed the cloth she had brought with her and enveloped the orb. « Time to go little one. »

Once more, nobody paid attention to her as she traversed the stone corridors. Or as she exited the temple. Or as she loaded her horse and guided him through the deserted alleys of the city. Finally, no-one noticed when passed the gate and galloped north, away from Plegia.

* * *

**Regna Ferox, a week later.**

Ferox, as it turned out, was not the frozen wasteland that had been described to her back in Plegia. Not that she believed it in the first place.

While the climate was certainly colder, the forests and small streams of water that covered the south-west of the land provided much more opportunities for a small community to survive than the Plegian drylands did.

This region was, in fact, densely populated if one was to compare it to the whole country. However, most of the population did not live in cities but in small village that survived independently. And that was exactly why Morgan, previously known as Lady Morgana of the Grimleal order, chose this place to live the rest of her life.

The local population proved very welcoming or at the very least, no one opposed her passage. Nor did anyone question the presence of a plegian dark mage in the region, nor did they question her on her past. As it turned out, she was not the first 'refugee' fleeing or deserting the war. Here, she had met a fair number of both ylisseans and plegians, all fleeing the war and none trying to stop her.

However, unlike most refugee, it was not the war or the that she fled, nor was it her life that she had been attempting to save. In fact, she had been hiding this reason in an object hidden under a thick cloth that she always held close to her body.

Finally, after a week of travel, she was able to settle down in an old abandoned hut, in the outskirt of the most isolated village she could find. Only then did she allow herself to release the object.

Letting go of the cloth that enveloped it, she carefully set down the orb on a table. In the rush of her escape, she could not rigorously inspect it for any anomaly and after a quick check up it was clear that the being inside ad endured the travel albeit visibly exhausted from the rationing that he endured for the past week, being only partially fed by the blood she gave to him.

Deciding that he had been starved for long enough, murmuring the incantation that allowed her to do so, she opened the orb. At last, after nearly one year of living in it, the small dragon was free. And as his first action, he immediately set to tear into the piece of meat that had been place in front of him, causing his caretaker to chuckle.

There she was, watching as he who was to become one of the most powerful and feared creatures of the world was struggling to fit as much food as possible in his mouth making little high-pitched noises akin to an infant bird.

« You need a name, little one. » The sound of her voice caused him to stop and look back at her quizzically, head tilted and six eyes blinking.

« Let's see, you just hatched from your egg and immediately get fed and by me, and while i am not your mother, i am more than happy to take care of you. » She laughed at the last bit, eliciting more confusion from the baby fell dragon.

« You act just like a bird, so i'll call you… » She leaned over the table, smiling brightly at him  
« Robin ! »


	2. Plight of the Princess

**AN: Here's the second chapter, this was actually supposed to be the third but i thought that the original second chapter was pretty boring and all around uninteresting so i scraped it and added the relevant part to the previous chapter. I hope this doesn't cause too much confusion.**

**Enjoy !**

* * *

**North portion of the Ylisse-Plegian Border, year 984.**

Rain was pouring down on her, drenching her robes. As she ran, she could hear the powerful wind blowing against the top of the trees. She could spot flashes of light followed by the roaring of thunder.  
She was freezing but she didn't stop running. Nearly tripping on every stone or root that stood on her way, ducking under the branches and the thick foliage.

She did not pay it any heed.

She was frozen, her clothes were soaked but not only by the rain. The smell of iron kept assaulting her at every breath she took, the smell of blood.

Not her blood.

Fear was slowly taking hold of her heart, gripping at it more and more tightly. Tears were streaming down her face, blurring her vision as sobs obstructed her breathing.

Yet, she ignored all that.

For she could hear her pursuers not far behind, calling for her to stop, jeering at her, talking of what they'll do when they catch her.

So she kept running, in the depth of the woods, in the middle of the night. Her, the crown princess of Ylisse, Lady Emmeryn of house Lowell, had no other choice but to run for her life.

* * *

**2 hours earlier**

Servants had just given her some new clothes after having given her a bath. The clothes she had worn previously had been taken to be washed and dried. They were but clothes made for travel, harboring little decorum. In contrast, those that had just been brought up were composed of a white robe embroidered with detailed golden motifs and a traditional sage cloak, green in color and soft to the touch. Adding to that, once dressed, she was soon presented with a variety of jewels, collars and most importantly, her golden tiara.

While she never was one for such displays, her father very much was and it would be the first time in month that she would be able to meet him.

That thought drew a soft sigh from her lips. This war had been ravaging both Plegia and Ylisse for years now and while her father was not blind to that fact, none of his actions served to alleviate the burden felt by the population. He did quite the opposite in fact.

After the initial assault stalled, desperate to prevent the war from entering a state of stalemate, the Exalt himself had taken to the field with a brand new army.

But all her father's efforts proved to be in vain, The plegians had rallied a formidable defense and now both sides were drafting men from everywhere to send to the front. Men that would not see their home in a long time if at all.

Ironically, this was also true for her father. So desperate he was to win this war that he no longer returned to Ylisstol, always staying on the front. It had been so for three years now, three years since Chrom and Lissa had last seen their father. Only her, at the age of eleven, was considered old enough to be sent to the front to meet with him. If only to keep him from giving in completely to madness.

She had heard the rumors first and then witnessed it herself, this war was taking a toll on her father. She saw him grow paranoid and delusional, what he once called a war to 'free the plegians from the Grimleal hold' had become a full scale war of extermination. Her father had taken a dark path and no word she said seemed to make him turn back, all they did was to slow his descent.

But she will not give up. Not when so many lives are at risk. So once more, she rode from Ylisstol to talk to her father.

"Emmeryn !"

And there he was, her father the Exalt had just entered the tent. He was still wearing his armor with falchion, her family's ancestral blade, at his side. Despite his smiling face and apparent good mood, the princess immediately took notice of the circles located under his eyes, of his skin, paler than it was. She took notice of all clues pointing to his exhaustion.

Taking a deep breath, she accepted his embrace and made to speak. No matter what had happened before, she would keep trying to bring him to reason.

* * *

"With all due respect my lady, it's getting too dark for you to be still out."

Emmeryn did not listen to the pegasus knight standing behind her as she watched the stars and sighed. This was something she liked to do to ease her mind. Once more her father dodged every attempt she made at conversing about the toll the war was taking on his country, his children and himself. So much so that she was starting to believe that he was unable to see or even comprehend it. It didn't matter, she would try again every day until she was to go back to the capital.

"Milady-"

Still ignoring her bodyguard, Emmeryn sent her silent prayer for the war to end. The starlight was dimming, dark clouds had formed over the camp and the roar of thunder could be heard from afar. It seemed it was indeed time to go back.

"MILADY !"

Abruptly, she was violently pushed on the ground by someone. Turning to see who had done so, she saw her own guard standing where she had been just then only to make an horrific discovery. Two arrows had found their way between the knight's plates and before Emmeryn could even voice her shock, the warrior collapsed in a pool of her own blood.

Suddenly, coming out of the darkness, a horde of men brandishing all sorts of weapons charged the camp, screaming in rage and bloodlust. The plegian had come.

What followed, she would describe at utter chaos. The Ylissean army rallied to repel the attacker and soon enough, all across the camp, men were slaughtering each other like possessed by demons.

In the midst of the battle, she tried to make her way to her father's tent only to realize that she, along with a few soldiers, had been cut of from the main portion of the camp. It was then that she heard the voices.

"Look ! The little girl !"

"She bears the crest !"

"That's the Ylissean princess !"

"Get her !"

"Kill her !"

"Outta' my way ! She's mine !"

Fear gripped her heart. Tears were threatening fall on her face. They were coming for her !

Immediately, the few of her father's soldier that stood with her charged at the oncoming horde to stop it but it was clear that they would only stall it.

In this madness, as her soldiers fell, she could do only one thing. She turned toward the forest. And she ran.

* * *

**Back to the present**

How long had this been going on ? How long did she run ? She din'd know, she didn't want to know, she just wanted it to stop. Now short on breath, the young princess felt her inevitable end coming. She could no longer keep up and her pursuer were still approaching. Still, she couldn't give up. Without their father, her siblings only had her as a family, she could not allow herself to be taken from them. She had o hide.

But it was too dark now. And her own fatigue finally caused her to miss a step and trip on a root. This caused to fall and roll down the slope she had been descending to the bottom. There she laid, whimpering in pain. But when she opened her eyes she saw it, right in front of her, carved in between two lumps of rock, was a cave. She made to get up, ignoring the pain that flared in her leg, this was her hiding place. But alas, it was too late.

Someone suddenly grabbed her hair from behind, causing her to cry out in pain. The plegians had caught up to her.

"No more running around girly !" Said the one who grabbed her, now holding her in a choke hold. Soon, they where joined by the rest of her pursuers. Closing he eyes she prayed for a miracle.

"Ha ! Look at that ylissean brat ! Not so mighty now huh? Ya filthy murderer!"

"Let's take her back, she'll make a fine hostage !"

"An hostage ? I say we kill her here and now !"

"And i say we bring her back to her father..." She heard the sound of a blade being drawn "Piece by piece !"

It was over then, with that thought, the tried to look at the stars one last time. But when she opened her eyes, she saw them. None of the brutes did, so busy they were arguing over what to do with her. But she did.

There, in the cave, there were six brilliant lights.

Six purple eyes were staring back at her.


	3. Close Encounter

**AN: So, while i have some idea of where i'm going with this story, the part that i had entirely planned ends with this chapter. In consequence, updates will likely come at a decreased rate as i think about what i'm going to write. Apologies for anyone disappointed, I'll keep trying my best.**

**Also, please let me know if you have any tips to improve my writing. I'm still learning and i feel like some of my phrasing is a bit lacking in some aspects.**

**With that said, please enjoy.**

* * *

**Regna Ferox, Year 981.**

"Tell me Robin..." Despite her fatigued appearance, her voice stood firm when she spoke to him.

The young fell dragon had just entered from the window, holding the body of a young deer in his mouth.

**"...Yes mother?"** The answer was not spoken out loud, she just heard his deep voice in her mind. Unable to properly speak, her charge had taken to communicate using telepathy. A complex spell that he mastered with little effort. Another indication of his growing power.

"What did you hunt today?" The way she looked at him was different from anytime he could remember her doing so, here gaze, usually full of kindness and compassion, was stern and severe.

**"...Two Rabbits...One Bear...And this...Deer..." **He responded while tilting his head, hinting at his confusion and nervousness to her apparent irritation. Had he angered her ?

"Really? And where are the rabbits? And the Bear?" Once more, he winced at her tone.

**"...I...I ate them..."** He was now hanging his head in shame.

"And the deer? Why not eat it as well?" Her voice was now cold, he was starting to feel any form of courage leaving him.

**"...I..was...satiated..."**

"Then, why bring it back?" This question, in contrast, was spoken with a much gentler tone, the one he had grown accustomed to.

After a moment of silence, him staring quizzically at her and her narrowing her eyes as if she expected one precise answer, he spoke.

**"...I...brought it...to you...for...your dinner..."**

The smile that graced her lips allowed him to release some of the tension that had been slowly building inside of him.

"I didn't ask you to do so." She was still smiling but once more, the question confused him.

**"...You are...unwell..."** It was true, her years of experimentation in the order had caused many changes to her body. And now, one of said changes had made its presence known in the form of the slow deterioration of her body. After a few years, her raven black hairs had turned white, her skin was now extremely pale and most of her forces had left her body. It was a slow and inevitable death that was taking her over. **"...I...want...to...help..."**

"Why? You are strong enough to live without me, in fact, it would be certainly easier for you if you did not have to come back in this house every day." He jumped at that statement, staring straight in her eyes, his head inches from hers.

**"NO! ...You cared...for me...now...I...care...for you..."**

He felt her hands on the side of his head, effectively cupping his scaly cheeks.

"And, do you like caring for me ?" Her voice was but a whisper now and he had only one answer to give.

**"Yes"**

"Then, once i'm gone.." A shudder, he never liked it when she spoke of her own end. " I want you to care for others."

He blinked, he did not expect that.

"You see, the humans... They do not like your kind. They fear your kind and they will try to harm you if they see you. But-"

Her smile returned, brighter than ever.

"I want you to show them that you are not a monster,but if will take time but if you work hard enough, i'm sure they'll understand. Would you not like that?"

He did not voice his response, just slowly nodding his head.

"Then, tell me, if you are not a monster, who are you?"

His mouth opened, showing his teeth. A smile to those who knew him. Erecting his body, six wings in full display, he answered.

**"I am Robin, the fell dragon! And i will make humans see that i am no monster!"**

She giggled softly. "I'm sure you will, little one."

* * *

**North portion of the Ylisse-Plegian Border, year 984.**

Right now, this conversation he once had was all that he could think about. Repeating itself in his head, times and times again.

Right now, he realized that he had not fully understood what his mother had wanted from him.

When she passed away, he chose to honor her memory in doing what he believed she had wished for him.

He was going to show to the humans that he was not a monster. But then he did not know how to do even begin.

First, having heard of the war and the misery it brought, he thought he might gain a chance to prove himself by protecting those that were affected by it. However, once he arrived, he found himself intimidated and at a loss.

There were too many massacres, too much death, both sides committing the worse atrocities. There was no way he could pick one side, so he resolved to wait in the periphery of the conflict. Such war gave free way to raiding and pillaging. Maybe, he though, he could start by defending a village from such act.

But now, such plans had become irrelevant. Now, right before him, a child was about to be put to death for no reasons other than her birth. And that did not please him.

That thought was all he needed. He was not here to prove himself to the humans, that was not what his mother had wanted.

His mother wanted him to do what he liked, and she knew exactly what that was.

Now, when he saw a man draw his blade and approach the child, he knew as well.

He was going to save the child, not to prove himself, not for mankind. He was doing it because, to him, it was the right thing to do.

_**'Clever woman'**_ He wanted to laugh at the fact that his caretaker had a better understanding of his mind that himself back then.

But there was plenty of time for that later. Now, it was time to take action.

Quietly, he tensed his body and then...

With a roar, he leaped out of his cave.

* * *

Never had she been so frightened. Right after she saw the eyes, she heard a roar that froze her to the bones. Not only her, but all the men that had followed her as well.

They barely had time to look at the cave from where the terrible noise came only to see the flash of a large jaw full of teeth.

Right after it passed, the smell of blood that had lessened in intensity came back assaulting her nostrils while she could feel an abnormal warmth on her left cheek. At the same time, the grip of the man that held her loosened and she herd the sound of a weight hitting the ground right behind her.

Risking a glance behind her, she felt her blood turn cold. The man's head had been separated from the body, and not in a clean way.

"What the hell was that!" The frightened voice of one of the remaining plegians brought her out of her shock and back to her situation. The rest of the men were frantically looking around, unable to comprehend what had just hit their companion.

Then it happened. Another roar. When she saw a flash of six purple lights, she immediately threw herself on the ground and closed her eyes. The plegians did not. For all but a few seconds, screams of terror and pain filled the air, accompanied by the sound of both wood and bones breaking. Then it was over.

Yet, she kept her eyes closed, not daring to look. She wanted to cry, but her eyes had ran out of tears.

And right at that moment, she felt something drop on her head. It was the tiara she had lost during her fall. Scared and confused, she dared to look up.

* * *

The storm had abated, the wind whisking away the dark clouds that covered the night sky. Thus, the small clearing in the forest was now bathed in the pale light emanating from both the stars and the moon.

It was thank to this light that she could see in details the creature that stood before her. In fact, the creature was not standing but levitating, it's snake like body slowly undulating in the air with the head slightly tilted, eyes blinking at her, seemingly awaiting for a reaction.

Seeing the body, she realized that if that was she first time seeing such a creature in flesh and blood, she had seen one depicted in many paintings and other forms of art all across Ylisse. This creature shared many traits with the fell dragon of legends, Grima. She felt her pwn nervousness increase at once with that thought.

However, the way it stared at her eased her, somewhat. It certainly did not look vile like the stories recounted and it was also much smaller, being about 32 feet long. And again, it had just given back her tiara to her. Was it trying to put her at ease by doing that ? It did work, if only a little bit. Still, dragons were supposed to be intelligent beings. So, steadying herself, she spoke to him.

"A-are you a Dragon?" Despite her best efforts her voice was still shaking. Not that she was trying to sound impressive, especially after what had just transpired.

The creature gave a slow nod.

"Y-you..A-are you not going to e-eat me?"

This made the creature freeze for a moment before it vehemently shook it's head.

"S-so..did you do that.." the thought of what _that_ entailed made her shudder "T-to help me?"

This time, the dragon's mouth opened in what almost looked like a smile before he rapidly nodded his head.

That action finally put her in a more eased state before she took notice of something. Right on what she assumed would qualify as its left shoulder, the junction between it's top left wing and the main body, laid a nasty gash. While the apparent injury did not seem very severe, it did cause its wing to move with a slightly different pattern than the rest.

Bracing herself once more, she dared take a step toward the dragon.

"W-wait, let me help you with that."

After a moment of just looking at her, the it seemed to understand her intention as it presented its injured side to her.

Now, while she had not yet completed her training, Emmeryn was still fairly confident in her abilities as a healer to treat what seemed like a minor wound, even without her staff. Gently placing her hands on the sides of the wound, she closed her eyes and focused before casting her spell.

Warmth coursed through her hands as a golden light enveloped them. After a few moments, the wound was closed.

The small moment of silence was suddenly interrupted by the sound of barking dogs and yelling in the distance. She recognized her language, those were the voices ylisseans soldier desperately looking for her.

As she felt her hope light up, she turned her head to her... friend? Should she call it a friend? Only to see him having turned toward the opposite direction and start to leave. It made sense, ylisseans crusaders would surely react poorly to a copy of the dreaded fell dragon standing near their princess.

Still she called out to the dragon, one last time.

"Wait!" When it turned its head to look at her, she bowed in respect. "Thank you for saving my life!"

Again, the dragon gave her what she assumed was a smile and bowed its head to her. At that moment, in her mind, she heard it's voice.

**"...You are...welcome...my lady..."**

It was then that she knew that she will indeed call it a friend.


	4. Strange Circumstances

**AN: Heh, as it turns out, i maybe have sort of a plan for this story, or at least the beginning of a plan for the beginning of the story. As always, any advice and feedback are appreciated.  
**

**Also, it's likely that i'll have less time to work on this story after this weekend. So, slower updates? I'm really not sure. All in all, i hope you don't mind if that's the case.**

**That being said, please enjoy.**

* * *

**Ylisstol, Year 996.**

Ever since it's foundation, centuries ago, the royal palace of ylisstol and the city itself had undergone numerous works of expansion and embellishment, each new occupant desiring to leave a mark in the capital. Even her father took part in the tradition, ordering the construction of a brand new church in the working-class district.

Sadly, perhaps, the funding of said construction had been interrupted due to the growing expense of the war and the rebuilding effort after that. Last week, the revival of the project had been authorized both by both the council and her. As terrible as her father's reign was in its last years, she would not scrap all of his projects. She wanted the world to remember that the previous exalt had been a kind man before the death of his wife and his descent into madness. This church, she hoped, would serve as a reminder of that to her people.

To her, it would serve as a reminder that no man was immune to becoming evil, not even her.

From the balcony of her study, under the sun of the afternoon, Emmeryn watched as far below, in the city, the worker tackled the task that had been given to them.

Her mind, however, was on an other matter altogether.

"And you are sure that the dates on those sightings are accurates?" She already knew the answer, knowing Phila, she had already meticulously inspected the reports.

"Yes, i have no doubts about it. The two villagers were very precise in the recount of what happened. The dragon seems to be moving south." The pegasus knight, ever so rigorous, answered.

Ever since that night, she had made use of many resources to gain information of the friend she made, nearly twelve years ago. Dispatching the few retainers that she had under her control and whom she knew she could trust to gather any form of information on anything that could be related to the dragon. Only sending more once she had ascended to the throne.

Surprisingly, what she feared might become a pointless endeavor turned somewhat successful. At first, very little information was found by her envoy until nearly two year after their first encounter.

A small border town had reported a bandit incursion, but when the reinforcement dispatched arrived, the threat was gone. While the bandits were eventually found in the form of a ruined camp littered with bodies, no one knew what had transited there. No one except the young son of a woodcutter.

According to the young boy, the bandits had been assaulted right after the twilight by none other than a large black snake. This was exactly what Emmeryn had been looking for.

Thanks to that information, the ongoing investigation had been expanded to look into any suspicious disappearance of any bandit group in the region. And soon, recount of an ongoing rumor in the countryside had reached her. A rumor describing a black dragon roaming the hills and forests, a dragon that punished the wicked and protected the innocent, striking at night, leaving none behind.

And today, her lawful pegasus knight had returned to her with another set of reports. Those reports, old from a week at most, indicated that the dragon had recently been roaming around the southwestern border of Ylisse. Right where her siblings were headed.

* * *

**Southwestern Ylisse, same day.**

There was a time, ages ago, when the ancient art of earth magic was revered by both humans and dragons. The ability to form bonds with the earth, communicating with it and drawing energy from it was regarded as the eldest and most powerful form of spell-casting in existence, along with the art of light magic.

Now, in contrast, this ancient art had nearly ceased to exist. Ever since the wars of the earth dragons, usage of this ancient form had been banned in many realm. Only a few dissidents dared to continue practicing it in a new and twisted form that would become known as dark magic.

It was a shame, truly, for even the most powerful and skilled dark mages could do nothing but barely grasp the greatness of the old ways.

And yet, earth magic was not entirely gone from the face of the world. After all, being the primary form of magic that had been wielded by the earth dragons, it was only natural for one of their progeny, as distant as it may be, to be able to channel the power of the earth.

And there, the young fell dragon was lying down on the ground, his more than forty foot long body hidden under a carpet of red leaves, listening tho the earth.

He had come here when he heard of a rather large bandit incursion in the region, tracking the band from afar, waiting for the right moment to destroy the threat. But not anymore.

Time had passed, he felt them through his connection with the earth, the bandits had started moving again, marching toward a town. But the dragon didn't move.

Instead, Robin remained in the same spot, still lying down, still hidden, perfectly still.

The earth has spoken to him, then cried out in pain.

Something else was coming, something different, something abnormal.

Something dangerous.

"Well, how about that?"

The voice may have sounded like that of a young human male talking in a nonchalant tone but the dragon knew better. Each word was accompanied by a vibration, a pulse of power, twisted, wicked. And the dragon stood still, waiting.

"You certainly are not what i expected."

The speaker was now standing in front of him, the leaves making crunching noises under his steps. Yet the dragon did not move, only looking up to examine who was this man that had come to find him.

There, standing on a small hill, stood a cloaked figure, face hidden under a cowl, slowly raising an arm, the earth vibrating from its power.

"It's better that way, with a body like yours, the heart should be more than capable-"

**"Leave."**

The figure stopped its movement and looked at the dragon. Somehow, its action had been pushed back.

"What?" The nonchalant tone had been dropped, the figure was now visibly annoyed, talking through gritted teeth. "How can y-"

**"You are not welcome here. Leave."**

The figure stood still, under the cowl, a pair of red eyes were glaring at the dragon.

"Do not think you can deny me child."

The figure raised its hand again, this time, the dragon could feel the earth screaming at him.

"You are nothing but a placehold-"

This time, the dragon, with unparalleled speed, threw himself forward, nearly missing as figure jumped on the side.

**"You will not get what you desire here."**

The figure rose, its mouth twisted in a scowl, dark energy gathering around its hands.

"Such insolence. You will not stop me child!" With an inhuman roar, the figure charged foward.

**"My name is Robin!"** Six purple eyes suddenly turned red as a power similar to the one wielded by the figure gathered around the dragon as well.

And in the quiet of the ylissean countryside, two being of power clashed.

* * *

"Did any of you feel that?" The question emanated a young girl with blond hairs styled in two pigtails and was addressed to her two companions.

One of those companions, a tall man with dark brown hairs simply rose an eyebrow at the sudden inquiry.

"What do you mean by _that_ my lady? Is the wind troubling you? I should warn you that this was only a small gush and that the weather is very much perfect for our ongoing trek and that the situation could be much-"

"I don't think she is talking about the weather Frederick."

The knight's ranting was suddenly interrupted by the third member of the party, a tall blue-haired man, whose eyes were now scanning the horizon.

"I don't know if you are referring the what i think you are Lissa, but right then, there was... _something_. Like a sudden shock wave..."

"Yes! That was exactly what i meant! Thank naga i am not imagining things."

"A shock wave you say? I did not feel anything of the sort and the region is not known to be subject of many earthquakes..."

"No... It wasn't like an earthquake Frederick. More like... a pulse. Yes, like a pulse that flew through the air."

"A pulse? I am not certain of what you mean my lord-"

Anything else that the knight wished to say was brutally interrupted when the sound of an explosion reached them, startling both male and making the young girl jump.

"W-what was that? That can't be thunder, the sky is clear!" Frantically looking around now, the young girt couldn't hide her nervousness.

Unsheathing his sword, the blue haired man talked first. "It came from the forest."

"Chrom! Look! Over there!"

While the two men were now facing the forest, Lissa was the only one who noticed the newly formed column of smoke rising from behind the hill they were heading to.

"Damn! That smoke is coming from Southtown, it must be those bandits!"

"My lord! What about the explosion?"

"I know Frederick! But now we must focus on the immediate threat! You two, after me!"

Brandishing his sword, Chrom, ylissean prince, brother to the exalt, rushed to the help of his people.

* * *

"Damn you-" Having been barely able to push back the dragon's assault, the cloaked figure was now panting on one knee, his right hand holding his left arm that had almost been bitten off.

Facing him and showing signs of fatigue as well, said dragon was slowly approaching the kneeling man.

Around them, trees had been felled, the forest ground was covered by smoking craters. Any form of animal wildlife had long fled the scene.

**"You...are...weaker...than me..."**

Hearing those words only made the figure grit his teeth even more than he did before but he knew those words to be true. He was not as powerful as he once was and his body was not as durable as the one of a dragon. So be it, he would have to retreat, for now.

The dragon stopped his advance when a thick black smoke started enveloping his opponent's body before said body started to fade.

"Mark my word _child_" The last word was spoken with as much spite in it as possible "_I_ will not be denied."

With this declaration, the figure completely dissipated in the wind, leaving the dragon alone on the battlefield.

However, any thought that the dragon would have put on the encounter were pushed aside when the sounds off battling in the distance reached his ears.

It was obvious that the brigands that he had tracked before had reached their objective and as much as the dragon would have wanted to charge to the rescue of the townsfolk, he was tired and having a raging dragon tearing through the city's streets would only increase the chaos.

Instead, the dragon decided, he would stay in the outskirt. According to his very developed senses, not all bandits had rushed to assault the town. Some had stayed behind, probably to ambush any relief force that tried to reinforce the city. Those would make excellent targets.

He would have plenty of time to ponder the mysterious figure later. Now, it was time to do what he was here for.


	5. Fated meeting

**AN: I had a hard time writing this chapter in a way that satisfied me and had to go back from scratch many times. I hope you like what i came up with.**

**Also, I'm sorry if the chapters seem a bit short, I just don't believe i have the skill to write longer chapters on the same situations without being boring.**

**As always, hope you enjoy reading.**

* * *

**Southtown, Southwestern Ylisse, Year 996.**

"Lissa! Watch out!" The warning came just in time for the princess to jump back, allowing her brother to parry the blow that was meant for her before overpowering the large bandit axe wielder and promptly cutting him down.

"You should be more careful you know." Wiping the sweat from his brow, Chrom took a look of their surroundings. The situation was more dire than what he initially thought. The town militia had been apparently unprepared for the attack and easily routed by the bandits, giving them free reign to raid and plunder the town.

"I know! But how am i supposed to treat your wounds if both you and Frederick leave me behind? You're the one being reckless here!" She was right of course. So determined he was to help the townsfolk that he had forgone any form of planning. Not only were they fighting a force that outnumbered them but in the chaos of their entrance, he and Frederick had been separated from Lissa. While they had managed to find her right in time, the fighting had already taken a toll on them.

"Yes, you're right... Gods, this is a mess." Still, the bandits were not much organized either. Having separated as well to plunder as many houses as necessary, they made for easier targets but the real problem laid in their numbers. He had sent Frederick to scout ahead, with some luck, the whole band had taken dispersed in the town.

"My lord! My lady!" The prince sighed a breath of relief when said knight appeared in his sight, glad that he was right.

"Good to see you in good shape friend!" The prince said, wincing as his sister healed a flesh wound on his forearm. "I trust that you did not find too much trouble on your way here."

"Aye, some of those bandits tried to stop me, none succeeded." The knight's and his horses armors were indeed splashed by blood and going by his speech, it was not their blood. "On more important matters, i found were most of the townsfolk was, they have taken refuge in the main church but it seems that the bandits have started to regroup there as well."

Those were not good news, the peoples he meant to protect were trapped, besieged in their own church and any frontal assault against the bandit force would be ill advised. But what choice did he have? He was no tactician and any delay would only put more lives at risk.

All that changed at the sound of a horn, one he did not expect to hear in this location. This was the distinct sound of the pegasus knight regiment's horn and sure enough, looking up, he was greeted to the sight of the banner of the falcon knights as well as their commander, Lady Phila herself, joining the fighting in the city.

* * *

"Phila!" Chrom approached the pegasus commander as she landed in the town square, with the arrival of the falcon knights, the bandits had been routed with relative ease. "Gods am i glad that you came, without your timely arrival repelling we might have been done for!"

"Indeed my prince, you are lucky that our mission brought us here in this time." Phila's tone however was less than amused "If i may say so, it was quite foolish of you to rush in battle with little numbers and little support, my lord."

This statement made Chrom wince, while a great fighter, he never was much of a tactician. And now he knew that he would have to expect a scolding from his older sister when he returned home. Thankfully, any lecture that he was about to receive was interrupted by the arrival of Frederick.

"Lord Chrom, Lady Phila, the bandit force has been successfully routed but many of them as well as their leader have managed to escape in the nearby forest! We must make haste if we are to apprehend them."

"Right! Leave some knight to see to the safety of the town and take the rest to the air, we must not let those scoundrels escape! Frederick, you're with me! Let's put an end to this."

"Hey! Don't leave me behind! I'm coming too!"

"In this case, keep close Lissa! Come on then!"

* * *

**Meanwhile, in the nearby woods.**

Garrick was not having a good day, and to think that it had started so well. He had successfully bypassed all of the ylissean patrols up to this town, he had easily overwhelmed its defenders and even prepared an ambush for any form of reinforcement that may have come.

And now? Most of his men had been either killed or captured and the rest were fleeing with him with the ylissean in hot pursuit. And what of the ambush one may ask? Well that was exactly what he wanted to know. Those pegasus knight should never have reached the city, that was the whole point of splitting his force for Grima's sake!

But he will find out, oh he will find out what caused his cowardly lieutenant to have abandoned him but first he and his men would have to make it out of here alive. Fortunately, being far from new to his line of work, he already had the area scouted by his men before the raid, so avoiding his pusuers should not prove too difficult.

That was what he thought until the smell of blood reached his nostrils. Exiting the forest into a small clearing, he had found the second half of his force, or what was left of it. The men that still followed him letting quiet gasps of shock at the sight.

Left and right, the bodies of his men laid all around him, all of them were missing something.

"What the hell happened here?" His voice was but a whisper as his body went completely still, frozen by fear.

His answer was not given by one of his men, instead, it came in the form of a low growl coming from right over their head.

* * *

"Phila! Did you find anything yet?" It had been almost an hour since the ylissean had charged after the fleeing bandits. But the thickness of the woods made it hard for the pegasus knight to detect the brigands from above and being unfamiliar with the terrain made it also difficult for Chrom to track them on the ground. So far, there was no sign of their target.

"I am afraid not my lord, there is not enough visibility for us to see them" The commander had, for the past hour, maneuvered her mount up and down to rely message from both pursuing party and better direct their search. "But if you did not meet them yet, they must be still pushing west, we will catch them once they reach the edge!"

"If they do so at all, they could easily disperse and avoid us entirely..." This was a very frustrating situation for the ylissean prince. How could he assure the safety of the country if a small bandit party could evade him so easily.

"Wait! I see something! My lord, someone is coming!" That voice came from Frederick and sure enough, looking ahead, what looked like one of the bandits was running at them as Frederick went to intercept him.

"You there! In the name of Ylisse and her Exalt, surrender!" Chrom braced himself when the man gave no indication that he would stop and kept running. Then, Chrom became very surprised when the man threw himself at his feet, while tears streamed down his face.

"Gods! I surrender! I surrender! Just take me out of here! Please!" Everyone in the vicinity shared a glance at this behavior but the prince had begun to connect the dots.

Phila and her falcon knights were an elite unit of the ylissean army directly under the command of the Exalt and were rarely ordered out of the capital safe in the case of an emergency or under a direct request from his sister. And said request from his sister were always about one thing.

Combined with de pulse of energy he felt earlier that day and the bandit's frightened look, Phila's presence here started to make much more sense. His heart started beating faster, if he was right, that would mean that right ahead of them...

A low and menacing growl interrupted his thought. When he looked for the source, he was stunned in silence.

"Gods..." While the great knight had taken to voice his awe, he remained quiet. In front of them, body mostly hidden by the trees, six eyes on a horned dragon head were staring back.

No one in the vicinity dared to speak or even move at the sight, the creature in front of them was large, at least forty feet long, and anyone with an affinity for magic could feel the power emanating from it.

Then, after a few moments, the head turned and the creature disappeared in the dense forest.

"Wait!" Maybe without thinking, and despite the protest of his retainer, the prince ran after the dragon.

* * *

He was tired, his encounter with that cloaked man must have drained more energy from him than he had initially thought. How else could he explained his lack of judgement, he had followed the last of the bandits right up to a large troop of ylissean without noticing their presence.

And now he had all of them searching for him in the forest, their very prince running after him.

While most of them seemed to be fairly decent people, he would prefer not to interact with the ylissean soldiers just yet. There was no telling how they would react to his form.

But it would be difficult to evade them now, with their flyers patrolling above the forest, taking flight was out of the question if he was to remain hidden.

So Robin took the alternative route, diving head first in the ground, casting small spells of wind to cover his large body with leaves, branches and dirt. Once under cover, the dragon stood completely still. Those humans had probably other obligations to attend to and would give up after a while, now he just had to wait.

Soon, he heard the footsteps of the prince indicating that he arrived to his location, to his dismay, the footsteps stopped and he could hear the man panting.

"Damn it! Where did it go? I was right behind it!" The prince was soon followed by other footsteps, those were heavier, indicating the arrival of an armored soldier.

"My lord! What were you thinking, you can't rush alone after such a beast!" A beast? Whoever said that clearly never met a dragon before. He was a far cry from a 'beast' he was a splendid earth and divine dragon hybrid.

"But it was him Frederick! That was the dragon! The one from Emm's stories!" Huh, so the princess, exalt now, had talked about him, this made him smile but if only those two could continue their conversation somewhere else...

"Hum...Guys..." A small, feminine voice suddenly spoke from his left. He had not heard this person arrive, he was getting careless. Indeed, looking on his left he could see a young blond girl dressed in a yellow dress, a girl that looked somewhat similar to the princess he rescued years ago. She was probably the yougest of the exalted family and-

Wait. He could see the girl. That meant that there was a hole in his cover. And the girl was looking right back at him. Moreover, he could feel the other two coming this way.

He blinked.

She blinked back.

...

Crap...

* * *

Chrom had just the time to make a step toward Lissa before a large shape slowly raised from the ground. The dragon had been hiding right under his nose.

His first reaction was to pull Lissa behind him, as benevolent as the tale made him out to be, the dragon was clearly not willing to be found and so there was no telling whether his reaction would be violent or not. Then, nothing happened.

For seconds that seemed to stretch for ever, the dragon stared at them, and they stared at the dragon, in complete silence. He could tell Frederick desperately wanted to do something but didn't know what was the appropriate response to the situation while Lissa tightened her grips on his arm.

The being in front of them was nothing short of intimidating, a large, black dragon that looked near identical to the fell dragon of legends. Like his companions, Chrom was at a loss. And so he just stared, feeling very stupid in doing so but also unable to act in any other way.

Somehow, part of him told him that maybe the dragon was feeling exactly the same way, going by the way his eyes slowly blinked at them.

Finally, the heavy silence was broken when he heard a voice in his head. The tensing of his sister and friend bodies indicating that they were hearing it as well.

**"...Good...afternoon?"**

...

He blinked.

The dragon blinked back.

...

What?


	6. Tensions and invitations

**AN: Few, this chapter was hard to write. I hope it turns out to be good enough still.**

**I am now away from home on holidays, i can still write, but that will likely take more time but i have already an idea of what to write in the next chapter, so hopefully it won't take too long.**

**With that being said, please enjoy!**

* * *

**Southwestern Ylisse, Year 996.**

The three humans had been staring at the dragon for a few seconds when the girl finally made to speak, not to the dragon but to her brother.

"Chrom, you have to do something!" It was obvious that she had tried to say that in a whisper but due to her own nervousness it was loud enough for everyone to hear, dragon included.

"What? What would you have me do?" He, in turn, spoke in the exact same way, betraying his own anxiety.

"Well, I don't know, but you're the prince, and he is looking at you." It was true, during all this time, the dragon kept his look on him, something that did nothing to appease the prince's mind.

"Very well then." Taking a deep breath and making his best to at least look composed, he shared a glance with his sister and his retainer, who had remained quiet the whole time, the prince took a step toward the dragon.

"Ahem! Greetings sir dragon!" Was that how one was to address a dragon? Was it even a male? The voice in his head did sound like a male but how was he supposed to know any of that? What was he even doing? "I am-"

**"Chrom of house Lowell, Prince of the nation of Ylisse." **The voice in his head interrupted him, in a cold manner, looking back at the other it was obvious that they heard it as well.

"S-so, you know who i am?"

The dragon blinked, twice.

**"A-ah, sorry, i did not mean to interrupt."**

...

Huh.

"Right... In any case, I am indeed Chrom, prince of Ylisse and standing behind me are my retainer, Frederick, and my delicate little sister, Lissa."

"H-hey! I am not delicate!" His sister complained.

"Anyways, sir dragon, may i ask for your name?"

At that request, the dragon perked up, slowly glided forward and made to properly introduce himself. But before he could do that last part, he was interrupted by the third person present.

"That's far enough!" At his sudden outburst, all eyes turned to look at Frederick. The knight had come forward and made to step in between the prince and the dragon, his axe was back in his hands.

"Frederick-"

"My lord, I know you mean well. I know you believe that this is the famed dragon of the rumors but we cannot ignore the appearance of this beast! Certainly you realize how similar it is to the one of the fell dragon of legends, G-"

The knight's speech was cut short by a loud 'bang'. The dragon had flapped all of his six wings at the same time, provoking a blast of air, and leapt at the knight, stopping only when his head was a few inches away from Frederick's.

The knight, to his credit, while flinching at the sudden invasion of his personal space, did not back away.

The tense silence was once more broken by the dragon's voice in their head.

**"Robin." **The dragon was now openly glaring at the knight.

"I-I beg you pardon?" While obviously intimidated by the being facing him, the knight stood firm.

**"My name is Robin. I am Robin. I am not the one you speak of! I _am _Robin!"**

Once more, no one spoke, stunned by the raw anger in the dragon's voice. But internally, Chrom was panicking. Here they were trying to communicate with a dragon and his retainer had managed to anger the beast almost immediately. If he was to defuse the situation, he had to act quickly. But, alas, the knight spoke first.

"That is what _you_ say dragon."

Sometimes, Chrom really wanted to scream at the knight.

So he did just that.

"Enough! Frederick, i don't want to hear another word from you!"

The sudden outburst broke the staring contest between the knight and the dragon and now both were staring at him instead.

"But My l-"

"Quiet i say!" Interrupting the stammering knight once more, Chrom released a deep sigh and turned back towards the dragon.

"I apologies sir Robin, my companion spoke out of turn. But you have to understand that your appearance is, at the very least, peculiar." Gods, he hoped it was not too late to salvage the situation.

**"No, his reaction was to be expected, i apologize for my outburst." **Any trace of anger was gone from the voice once more and that gave Chrom hope that the situation could indeed be defused.

Now, he just hoped that nothing would come to complicate it even more.

"My lords!" And that was the precise moment that Phila and a few of her pegasus knights chose to arrive at their location.

...

Nagadamnit!

* * *

Nagadamnit!

Fate had it out for him today, that was the only explanation for everything that occurred. First, he stumbled right into an ylissean contingent, then he managed to get cornered by the prince, the princess and a knight, then said knight lashed out at him and now even more ylisseans barged in.

He was not prepared for this, his only experience in conversing with humans came from a few words exchanged with those he saved that had the courage to talk to him and that hardly qualified as a conversation. Other than that, his experience with humans were limited to slaughtering hordes of bandits.

Now there was a whole group of humans standing in front of him, the newly arrived stunned into silence and gaping at him. In fact, everyone was looking at him with a mix of awe and fear.

Gods, he was not prepared for this kind of attention, now he just wanted to fly away or dig a hole in the ground and hide there.

But he wouldn't, the prince seemed open to talk to him and fleeing would not help his case. He had to hope that the prince was as friendly as he seemed to be.

If only the other could stop looking at him...

* * *

"Now everyone stay calm and do not do anything rash!" As soon as the new arrivals caught sight of the dragon, Chrom had screamed this order. He had to stop anyone else from angering the dragon who was now... squirming under their gaze?

Anyway, the pegasus knights did as ordered and stopped at a safe distance from them, only Phila stepped forward.

"My lords, are you well? We heard what sounded like an explosion." Her calm mask was briefly broken by a hint of worry.

"We are well Phila, there's no need to worry." Perhaps thing's weren't so bad he thought, after all, he had no doubt that Phila had been sent here by his sister in order to meet the dragon and his sister would not have ordered her to harm the dragon.

Indeed, once she acknowledged both their well-being and that the dragon was not an imminent threat, Phila gave a nod to Chrom before facing the dragon and bowing her head.

"Salutations sir dragon" So he was to be referred to as sir, was he? "I am Phila of the Exalt's personal guard. I am here on behalf of my liege to meet with the dragon that once saved her life."

That was true, Chrom thought, in the previous confusion, they had forgotten one of the key aspect of the dragon's story, that he had saved his sister's life. Looking at Frederick's widened eyes, it seemed that he had forgotten that as well.

**"The Exalt, lady Emmeryn... How is she?" **The tone was now gentle.

"She is well sir, and she wishes to extend an invitation." What? Invitation? What was his sister planning? "She wishes to meet you sir." She finished giving a sidelong gaze to Frederick, making sure that the knight understood that he would have no say in this.

**"Invitation?"**

"Yes, Lady Emmeryn wishes to arrange a meeting in the outskirts of the capital, if you accept that is."

There was yet another moment of silence before the dragon gave his answer.

**"I accept."**

* * *

"So, you're the dragon that has been saving all those villages right? This is amazing! Maribelle is never going to believe it!"

While Phila had been the one extending his sister's invitation, she could not accompany the dragon back to Ylisstol as she had planned to do. Some of her knights had to remain behind to secure the town and help with its reparations. The rest were led by her to bring the captured bandits to a secure location before going back to the capital.

Instead, Lissa, whose nervousness had been replaced by excitement, had proposed herself to return with the dragon. Chrom obliged her and Frederick obviously chose to ride with them as well albeit the knight was back to being silent for the trip.

As for the Robin, the dragon, he had been immediately beset by Lissa's enthusiast questioning.

"Tell me, how many villages did you save? A hundred? Two? A thousand?"

**"...I did not count..." **It seemed the poor beast was in need of some rescuing, so Chrom came to his help.

"The sun is setting, we won't make it to Ylisstol before the night, we ought to make camp here."

Taking this as an occasion to escape the princess, the dragon came forward.

**"I agree, i shall hunt while you prepare a camp site."**

Before anyone could answer, the dragon took flight into the night.

* * *

"Come on Lissa, dig in, meat is meat!"

Despite her borther's Claim, the princess did not even attempt to taste the food that had been presented to her.

"Meat? _This_ is not meat, _this_ barely qualifies as food! Couldn't you hunt something else than a bear Robin? I know you're a dragon and all but how am i, a human, supposed to eat that?"

They had finally set up camp at the side of the road in the forest. Robin had just returned from the hunt with a large bear in his mouth. And they were now sitting around a campfire, except Robin, who had coiled his body on the ground.

Said dragon did not respond to the princess, his head was buried in the remains of said bear, desperately trying to salvage as much food as possible.

"Eh, i guess that's one way to do it..."

"Come on Lissa, hardship builds character."

Sticking out her tongue to her brother Lissa then turned to the knight that, like her, had yet to touch his food.

"What about you Frederick? I don't see you eating as well."

"Er, i am not hungry milady, i had quite a large lunch, yes."

The knight's answer came a bit too quickly, causing the princess to rise an eyebrow.

"Eh, sur-"

**"May i have your share?"**

Lissa blinked, Robin's head was now right in front of her, she had not heard him move.

"Geez, how can you move so quietly with such a body!"

The dragon did not respond, instead his body suddenly tensed and his eyes widened and all three humans could sense a change in his demeanor.

"What is it Robin? Is something wrong?" Chrom was already on his feet, Frederick with him, both had their hands on their weapons.

The dragon turned his head to look at the prince but anything else was interrupter by a crashing noise. Lissa, her brother and the knight had to brace themselves as the earth was now violently shaking.

"W-What's going on?" The princess shrieked when a column of fire suddenly erupted from the earth that was now fracturing.

"Lissa run!" The princess felt her arm being gripped by her brother who proceeded to drag her out of harm's way.

"Chrom! Where are the others?" In the chaos that followed the earthquake, the two royalties found themselves separated from the knight and the dragon.

"They'll be fine, we can't stay here!" Despite the flames emanating from the depth of the earth, Lissa felt the air grow cold, what was happening? She looked at the sky as if it would give her an answer but found something else instead.

"Chrom..." The princess voice was barely audible, causing the prince to look back in alarm, when he saw her looking up, he followed her gaze and froze.

In the night sky, a giant eye was looking down on the world.


	7. A night in Ylisse

**AN: I don't have much to say about this chapter, i just had some difficulty to adjust the pacing, hope it turns out good enough.  
**

**Other than that, next update might take a bit longer since vacations and all.  
**

**With that said, hope you enjoy today's chapter.**

* * *

**Regna Ferox, Year 981**

Whatever was the artifact in her hands, he did not like it. He could feel its dark power, he could feel the very essence of the earth twist and contort under its influence. Whatever was this artifact, it should not exist.

"Judging by your reaction, you have already felt its power. But, tell me Robin, do you know what this is?" His mother held the artifact up. The mask's eyes boring into his.

When the dragon did not respond, she continued.

"This, is a death mask, an old artifact first created in the times of the old city of Thabes. I will spare you the details for now but i need to know, can you hear its voice?"

Obviously disturbed by both the question and the object, the dragon nodded.

* * *

_"__Master!"_

_"Our liege."_

_"Lead us!"_

_"Master!"_

* * *

**Southwestern Ylisse, Year 996.**

Many who knew the great knight Frederick, loyal retainer of the exalted family of Ylisse, would assert that he was probably one of the most composed person they had ever met. In fact, very few had ever seen him lose his composure, even in the face of a threat.

But right now, Sir Frederick of Ylisse was in a frenzy, very much on the verge of panicking.

Just a few moments ago, he had seen both of his charges disappear behind a stream of fire as the earth around them collapsed.

Now, he had completely lost their trace and was galloping through the burning forest calling for them.

"Lord Chrom! Lady Lissa!"

This had to be the result of a curse, obviously, some sort of dark spell had been casted on them. And, if he was to listen to the darkest part of his heart, he would blame the terrible creature they had encountered this same day.

He had seen it tense before the cataclysm, somehow, this was all tied to the dragon and by Naga he would get his answers from it.

But as of right now, he had to find his liege.

Those were his thought when he spotted a large number of shapes rising from the ground. And then, dozens of red eyes stared at him as the sound of low growls reached his ears.

The knight drew his weapon.

* * *

_"__Oh Master!"_

_"We serve you."_

_"Our lord!"_

* * *

"Chrom! Look out!"

His sister's warning made him turn just in time to parry the blow that was meant for his head. Aptly disarming his opponent, the prince then proceeded to remove its head from its body.

"Gods! There's no end to them!"

Fortunately, the chaos from earlier had subsided the sky had turned back to normal and the earth no longer shook. Unfortunately, the forest was now infested with monsters.

Those creatures, while humans in appearance, looked more like walking corpses, wielding rusty weapons and making grunting noises that sounded all but those of a human.

It did not take long for the prince to understand that those creatures had not his best interest in mind when two came charging out of a bush, trying to dispose of both him and his sister.

But by far the worse part of this situation was that those creatures did not seem to stay dead, at least for some of them. In fact, the one whose head had just been cut of had already met the sharp end of his sword earlier before attacking him again.

But now, with its head severed, the corpse dissipated into a pile of black dust.

"So that's how to do it..."

"Chrom! There are more coming!"

Indeed, more low growling noises could be heard closing in, from all directions.

"Come on Lissa, we can't stay here." Gods, he hoped that Frederick was alright.

"Chrom!"

So focused he was on the sounds of the oncoming monsters, he did not notice one of the downed corpses rising yet again to charge at his sister.

"Lissa!"

This time, his sister warning came to late and he knew he would not reach her in time.

As for the princess, paralyzed by fear, she could only close her eyes waiting for the blow to come. It didn't.

Right in the nick of time, yet another figure emerged from the bushes, a swordsman sporting a blue attire and an elegant mask, deflected the corpses blade and made quick work of cutting it down.

"W-Wha-"

"Watch out!"

Any question the prince or the princess had would have to wait as, with a loud grunt, another wave of monster came at them, weapons raised.

* * *

_"Our Lord__!"_

_"Master!"_

_"Command us!"_

* * *

That was Chrom! He had heard his voice over the growls, his liege was still alive.

Cutting down yet another of those monsters, Frederick directed his mount towards the direction he now knew his lord to be in. He could only pray that that scream was not one of pain.

'And where is that blasted dragon?'

Their new acquaintance had been strangely absent from the whole ordeal, he heard his liege voice and the incessant grunting noises of those creatures but he never heard any sound that resembled those of a dragon.

'So much for a protector, cursed black dragon.'

Another group of creature stepped in his way, raising axes, swords and spears.

'Be safe my Lord, i am coming!'

* * *

_"Master__!"_

_"Guide us!"_

_"You are one of us!"_

* * *

No matter how many time he experienced it, he never was able to be comfortable around the voices. Their incessant complaint, cries of sorrow and rage, begging for revenge. He would never be able to fully tolerate it.

So many voices at once, so much raw rage, his body was contorting and twisting under the strain that had been put on his mind.

The earth was crying, screaming at him. Today, something terrible had happened, first with the cloaked figure that challenged him, and now with those abominations invading the woods.

This was an anomaly, this should never have happened.

Slowly, he focused, doing his best to ignore the voices.

Purple flames started emanating from his body.

He breathed, and the flames came out of his mouth as well.

He breathed again, he was ready.

When the dragon's eyes opened, they were red.

* * *

_"Our Lord__!"_

_"Our God!"_

_"Our Savior!"_

* * *

"My lord! My lady!"

"Frederic! Good to see you still in one piece my friend! I trust you already have met those creatures"

The great knight had finally found his charges, in the midst of finishing off yet another group of walking corpses. His help had evidently been much welcome.

"A feeling entirely shared my lord. It is good to see that those fiends did not harm you."

"Yes, well we got some help..." Not only had he saved his sister, the masked swordsman had proven a valuable ally in decimating their enemy's ranks.

"The dragon my lord?"

"Not quite, that masked man over there... Huh? Where did he go?"

Behind them, the spot where the prince had last seen the masked man was empty. Now he could only see his panting little sister, visibly exhausted.

But before anything could be done about that, another variety of growls served the trio as a reminder of their predicament.

"Dastards! No matter how many we cut down, they just keep coming!"

"I do not know about this new swordsman my lord, but i have spotted many more creatures approaching this location on my way here. Far too many to deal with ourselves."

As the knight just said, another horde of demons came out of the shadow, those had taken the time to regroup, their numbers were even greater.

"What about Robin?" Having caught her breath, the princess had spoken, still shaken from the ordeal she had been put through. "We could use a dragon right now!"

"I'm sorry my lady but there are no signs of the dragon. I suspect he has abandoned us."

Before the prince or princess could rebuke the knight for his obviously biased comment, another sound reached their ears. The sound of a terrible roar followed by a loud crash. In the distance, purples flashes illuminated the trees.

The prince fought to hide his smirk.

"You were saying Frederick?"

* * *

_"Our lord!"_

_"Avenge us!"_

_"We beg of you!"_

* * *

Despite the chaos, they continued to talk, to implore him. Begging him to lead them.

He did not.

There were many, more than he had ever seen or felt, but that did not help them.

His body, enveloped in purple flames, crushed them, smashing their ranks as his powerful wings cut and burned through their frail bodies. His tail whipped and lashed out at those that approached him from behind.

But dealing the most damage was his breath.

A steady purple stream of fire leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.

Behind him laid only a path of devastation, no trees, rocks or bodies were left.

In front of him, an unending stream of walking corpses raised arms at three humans, those he had met the same day.

The dragon rose to its full height, wings in full display and roared.

* * *

__"Please..."__

__"Lord Grima!"__

_**"ENOUGH!"**_

* * *

"Gods..." What had been, less than a minute ago, a whole contingent of those creatures was now a pile of ashes. The trees around them had been burnt as well. In the middle of the pile, a black dragon was looking at them.

Chrom had known the dragon to be powerful but this was far beyond his expectations.

"Robin!" His sister was the one to voice their collective relief. They had been fighting without respite up to this moment. The prince noticed that even Frederick allowed a small sigh to escape his lips.

"You sure took the time to show up here!" While he was saying this to light up the mood, the dragon actually dropped his head in shame.

**"I apologize, there were many foes on the way..."**

"Don't worry about it, you just saved our skins." Naga, were all dragons this formal. How old was he anyways?

Instead of continuing the conversation, the dragon simply turned its head indicating an old building in the distance.

**"There is an old fort on the hill over there, i suggest you hold out there until those fiends are entirely defeated."**

"Do you intend to fight them alone? Or are you just using us as bait? And are we to ignore that those fiends appeared the same day we met you, _Sir Dragon_?" Someday, Chrom thought, he would have to educate his knight on his sense of priority and tact. But it was the dragon that responded to Frederick.

**"These fiends are marching toward you, they seem to be attracted to you, you could stay here if you want but i advise against that _Sir Knight_."**

"Enough! Both of you! That's _really_ not the moment!"

It seemed that both of them at least agreed on that, the dragon simply... shrugged? It was hard to tell. And took of in the air.

**"Retreat to the fort prince, i shall take care of their main forces!"**

"You heard the dragon! To those forts!" The prince marched first, closely followed by the other two. His thought briefly went to the swordsman that had helped him and his sister earlier, hoping he would stay safe and if not, that the dragon would save him as well.

* * *

"Hyaaa!"

Yet another monster fell to her sword, yet another took its place.

Something had gone terribly wrong. Scratch that, many things had gone terribly wrong.

First, she had been separated from her friends and the army of risen that had apparently followed her in this world made her fear for their well-being.

Second, the army of risen that had followed her had taken positions all over the forest, trapping not only her but also her father and his retainers in it, endangering all of their lives.

Lastly, her father, while having the help of both his sister Lissa and his lieutenant Frederick, lacked the assistance of one man. The one that would become his most trusted friend and also the prime suspect for his murder. To her dismay, she had found out that Lord Robin was not accompanying her father when he should have been.

At first, she had believed that her arrival coupled with the risen's were responsible, maybe he had been ambushed by the monsters, and went on to find him.

Now, she realized it had been a reckless decision. She was without support and surrounded by her enemies, locked in an endless fight for her life.

Her arms were tired and her movement got sloppy, she was still more than a match for any of the monsters but soon that would change. But with no clear path to escape, there was nothing else she could do.

Another swing, another pile of dust, another growl and another foe to strike down.

Was this how it would end? She had fought all of her life and now that she had an opportunity to change her fate she would die? As an anonymous body lost in the woods?

Feeling the strain on her body, she still managed to strike down yet another foul beast. But their numbers were endless.

And yet, against all odds they stopped. Seemingly hesitating to advance on their prey. It was strange, risens were known to be mindless pawns, they would not hesitate unless ordered to.

And then, there was fire. With a loud crashing noise and in a blinding flash of purple light, most of the demons facing her were gone. A powerful spell had just whipped away most of their force.

'What?' No one she knew possessed that kind of destructive power, and when she searched for her rescuer, she saw _him_.

Time seemed to stop when she spotted the six eyes that seemed to bore into her soul.

_'No!'_

He was not as large as he had been before.

_'Why are you here?'_

But there was no question that in front of her stood the fell dragon.

"Grima!"

Mind unfocused, unable to think beyond what she saw as her arch-enemy, the sword-wielding princess from the future raised let out a feral cry of rage and charged.


	8. A night in Ylisse 2

**AN: Kept you waiting huh? **

**I know it took some time to come out and that it's still short but I had other projects plus I was in holidays and all that. **

**It may take some more time for the next to come as well, please forgive me.**

**Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this one as well.**

* * *

**Ylisse, Year 996.**

"Back you devils!" With a powerful swing of Frederick's axe, another of the demon soldiers that assaulted the fort him, Chrom and Lissa had retreated to fell in a pile of dust never to rise again.

"Was that the last of them?" Beside him, the knight could see his liege sheathing his sword while the princess was working on healing a light injury he had received on his shoulder.

"The last of this group milord, but i can still hear more of them roaming around." Scanning the woods before him, there were indeed a few red eyes to be seen, but their number had been greatly diminished. "But it seems that our _friend_ as held to his part."

"See, you're starting to call him a friend too Freddy! I knew you had it in you." The knight gave an exasperated sigh. Leave it to the princess to keep making pointless jokes even when she is obviously exhausted.

"Please, milady, do not call me that. And my usage of the term '_friend_' was sarcastic at best." Alas for the knight, his reply only fueled more giggling from the young princess.

"You using sarcasm Frederick? Naga save us, those truly are the end times." This made the prince laugh as well. So the knight resolved to silently endure this treatment if only to light up the mood and allow his charges to relax after all the events of the day.

Still, the dragon was once more gone our of sight and more creatures started to advance towards their position. The battle may have been going their way so far but it was not yet finished.

That was when, surging from the forest, a red blur rammed into leading creature, cutting it to pieces.

"Captain Chrom! I finally found you!" The blur turned out to be a red haired woman, wearing an armor of the same color and mounting a horse.

"Sully!? What are you doing here !?" As one, the prince and his knight rushed forward to aid the newcomer in her struggle, but it was clear that she had the situation under control and the three of them made quick work of the few remaining monsters.

"Hah! Since you were taking so long to come back, i came to find you myself! That's when i ran into those freaks, I've been killing a whole bunch of 'em. Speaking of, we heard quite the ruckus on our way her, with all sorts of flashes and explosions, thought you were in a bad spot."

"Hah, well, we faced some trouble indeed, but we got some help in dealing with it." Paying more attention to his surrounding, Chrom noticed that the growling had ceased and that there were no more signs of the creatures. "Huh, i guess that's the end of that."

"You there! Halt!" Suddenly, all eyes turned on Frederick when he yelled the order. He was facing someone, a figure that Chrom did not recognize.

"Peace friend, i am not one of those hellish beasts. In fact, i am a companion of this magnificent lady knight that you seem to be acquainted with." The figure was a rather well dressed man with light blue hairs.

"You know him Sully?" The prince asked, intrigued.

"Ugh, Ruffles here has been following me around since we briefly crossed path on the road. He keeps spitting nonsense about flowers, fair maidens and love. Thought i left him behind to be honest."

Not at all disheartened by the woman's harsh words, the man simply bowed before her and Chrom as he presented himself.

"Please my lady, my name is Virion and i was simply complimenting your beauty, for you are like a glowing flower in the darkest night and..."

Chrom did not listen to the rest of Virion's speech, instead, his attention had been on his sister as she asked him a question.

"Say Chrom, if this is all over, shouldn't we find Robin."

Turning back around Chrom saw that the man had keeled over after Sully had kicked him in the stomach when he had tried to kiss her hand while Frederick watched impassively.

"So, tell me Chrom..." Said female knight had made her way to him and murmured in his ear. "I heard some stories from a few pegasus knights. That help you received, wouldn't it happen to be _him? _You know, _the thing._" Perhaps it was his imagination, but for a moment he thought he saw stars form in her eyes.

"This is kind of a long story..."

* * *

Why was this happening to him? The day had started so well, saving lives, killing bandits, he was used to that. Then there was the whole mysterious figure situation followed by meeting the whole ylissean army along with the prince. The a very rude knight chastised him for saving their life, accused him of being the very thing he was trying very hard not to be and now? Now some crazy masked woman was trying to kill him!

He had been prepared for humans overreacting to his appearance, the knight's uneasiness, while irritating, was understandable, but having someone relentlessly swing a sword at him even when they were clearly not in shape to fight him was new.

Now he was locked in some sort of combat with the woman whose life he just clearly saved. Well, combat was a big word, she was flailing her sword at him in uncontrolled rage and he was just nimbly avoiding those swings or parrying them with his horns. She seemed to be really angry at him, he did not like that, had he done something he shouldn't have done? Had they met before? This had to be some sort of misunderstanding right?

Clearly she was no brigand, and he had also heard the prince talk about a master swordsman helping him fight off the undeads.

So instead of fighting back or doing anything that could hurt the woman, the dragon kept dodging and parrying while trying to form a connection with her. Surely if he could talk to her she would stop trying to kill him... right?

* * *

"Hyaah!" Another swing, another miss.

The fool creature kept dodging or parrying her strikes, dancing around her, not even trying to fight back. She gritted her teeth, that cursed dragon was mocking her.

It was Ylisstol all over again, that fateful day the city fell. He had been there, watching from above, his six red eyes looking down, his gaze piercing the clouds to watch her city fall to his armies. And he had not moved.

He had not moved when his army took the walls.

He had not moved when the risen burned down every house in the city, slaughtering the inhabitants.

He had not moved when they breached the citadel, storming the palace.

He had not moved when she climbed the highest tower. He had not moved when she challenged him to fight her.

He had not moved when her friends forced her to flee with them. He just watched.

And smiled.

"Raaah!" A twist of his body and her sword bounced off his horns.

Why!? Why would he not fight back! Why was he so fixed in tormenting her?

"Fight me!" She screamed, not trying to hide her feminine voice. "Come on! Fight me!"

But he didn't do it, on the contrary, he backed away from her.

A thought made its way to her head. Something felt different, not only was the dragon not fighting back but... The way his eyes blinked at her... He looked confused. It was a crazy thought and yet she could not deny the possibility.

Was that dragon simply another one? Was that not Grima? He was an exact copy of her archenemy with the exception of being much smaller, could she have made such a mistake? She had never heard of other fell dragons. The only dragons that she knew of were the manakete that had joined the shepherd.

"Who are you?" She asked in a whisper. The dragon was still staying at a safe distance and she was still pointing her sword at him but deep in her heart she hoped that he would tell her that he wasn't the monster she feared.

Then she felt it. A wave of cold coursing through her body, the same feeling she had had when _he_ had spoken to her. She had heard his wicked voice in her mind, in her dreams.

She grit her teeth.

"Get out of my head!" Again, the princes charged at the dragon.

* * *

_Crazy Woman With A Sword_

What was wrong with her!? For a moment he thought they would be able to talk but then, right when he tried to connect to her mind, not only did she manage to push him back but she immediately started attacking him again.

Should he just knock her out and be done with it? He was a very patient dragon and even he had his limits. Or perhaps, since it seemed that all the undeads had been taken care of, he could just go back to the Ylissean royalty and leave that freak to do whatever she wanted as long as it wasn't chasing him down.

No, he had promised himself that he would show all those that thought he was evil that they were wrong and he would never be able to do that id he ran away from the first crazy person he met.

...

She was visibly tired, maybe he could wait for her to collapse from exhaustion and then...

"What is going on here!" The firm but confused voice of the ylissean prince put an end to his musing... and her frenzy.

...

About time he showed up.

* * *

"I beg you pardon?" Chrom was a bit confused, it may not be so strange for someone to be intimidated by Robin's appearance to the point of attacking him, a bold move on the masked man's part if he may say so, but accusing the dragon of wanting to destroy the world seemed a bit much.

"As I told you, this dragon his a calamity, a monster, a terrible beast that wishes to destroy all life." The man who had presented himself as Marth explained that again, as if it was common knowledge. He was also still pointing his sword at poor Robin.

Said dragon was baffled by those accusations but said nothing. He felt something touch his cheek and saw Lissa, the young princess patting his head.

"I don't think that he is a monster, i think that he is an amazing dragon." She exclaimed. Robin smiled, he seemed to have left quite the impression on the the princess, just like her sister.

"I have to agree with lady Lissa, sir Robin here, despite what he may look like, has been of great assistance to today and he has helped to save many ylissean lives. Surely you must have heard some of the rumors about his feats"

Of all peoples, Robin had not expected the stoic knight who had been glaring at him ever since they met to defend him. But he was certainly not complaining.

"You don't understand he-" Marth abruptly closed his mouth and looked back at Frederick "W-What did you call him?"

"Robin, that's how the dragon seems to calls himself Sir Marth."

There was a long silence, Marth was looked at the dragon then at the knight then at the dragon again before pointing his finger at him.

"T-That's Robin?"

"Indeed, so you have heard of him!"

Robin tilted his name, this woman knew his name? He could remember telling some of the people he saved but she wasn't one of them. Maybe she was an acquaintance.

The swordsman did no respond right away, instead mumbling something to himself.

"He says he tried to tell you but you wouldn't listen." Everyone looked at Lissa hearing her accusatory tone, Robin had just told her what had happened.

"W-Well I-I..." Clearing his throat, Marth finally spoke. "I-I apologies, i mistook you for someone else." He bowed to the dragon when he said that.

Mistake him for someone else? There were no other fell dragon in the world, who could she have thought of... Oh...

Robin widened his eyes, this girl was mistaking him for Grima but she also had seemed to personally know him when she did. What was going on?

"S-Still, I must warn you, tonight was but a warning for darker times to come. Remember that." Marth gave a firm look to the dragon and then disappeared into the night.

"Hey, wait!" Chrom chased after him but to no avail. just like that, Marth was gone.

"Not much for conversation, is he?"

A new voice spoke next to Robin, when he turned his head to find out who had spoken, he met a red haired woman in armor. When she met his eyes, she smiled widely. Murmuring something about a bet and someone owing her a lunch.

"So you're the dragon, I'm sully! Very glad to meet ya! Say, you wouldn't mind telling me some of your stories right?"

...

...

Huh?


End file.
